


Forever

by Alice_vs_Wonderland



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 07:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10760052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_vs_Wonderland/pseuds/Alice_vs_Wonderland
Summary: Tumblr request. Proposal one-shot with Jack and Hiccup from my fic "There's Always More".Jack is plagued with nightmares and memories from the war. He gets worried, when Hiccup starts sneaking around, but it turns out Hiccup is preparing to ask Jack if they can be together forever.





	Forever

* * *

 

Friends’ blood. Enemies’ cries. Children’s unseeing eyes. Jack’s eyelids felt sticky with sleep, and the blanket on his chest was trapping him in sweaty heat. He threw it off and forced his tired bones out of the bed. Pictures flashed and screamed behind his eyes. He rubbed them, imagining how simple things would be if he could just scrape those pictures out. It had been four years since the war, but there were certain kinds of pain, certain visions, that never fade.

The floorboards wailed and a scaly snout nudged his knee. “Hey buddy,” he said. Frostbite looked at him with worry in his blue eyes. “I’m okay, I’m just having bad dreams again.” Frostbite didn’t seem comforted by that. Jack patted his white neck. “Go out and play with the other dragons, Frostie. I promise we’ll take a nice, long flight together later, I just need to wake up properly.” He could tell from Frostbite’s uncertain eyes that he was having an inner debate about whether it was okay to leave him alone. He smiled reassuringly at his dragon. Frostbite nudged his side and bounded down the stairs. The dragon slammed the front door open and disappeared into the gleaming snow.

The cold stairs creaked under Jack’s weight, reminding him of the chill outside. He loved winter, but it didn’t bring him the usual joy right now. His mind had turned into an ice cave, and he felt surrounded, his fears and memories reflected in the freezing walls, staring back at him from every angle. He had tried to distract himself. Tried to focus on something else. But his thoughts were slippery and they always made him lose his footing in the end, so he glided back to the beginning. Back to the distorted images. The gleam of ice. The sharp flashbacks.

He closed the front door after Frostbite. His clothes from yesterday were hanging on a chair, so he quickly threw them on and eyed the fire pit, where a cauldron was bubbling gently, filled to the brim with steaming soup. The smell was rich and inviting, but his gut felt heavy and frozen. He sighed and tore his eyes away from the soup. He knew Hiccup would worry, if he didn’t eat something. Maybe he would try later.

Hiccup had already left for his chiefing duties. The house was suffocating, like fragments of his nightmares lingered within the wooden walls and drank the oxygen. The heavy front door cried when he opened it, the sound almost beautiful; pointy and cold like the snow-covered world outside. He stepped into the chilly air, sweet and lively in his throat. Snowflakes drifted from the grey skies. They kissed his skin, cold blinks of fragile beauty. The way they melted on his hand, crumbling, submitting, reminded him of the weariness floating in his skull. If he smoked, he would smoke ten cigarettes in a row right now. He needed something to poison the anxiety and the tiredness that had settled around his heart like a pulsating fist.

All around him, the people of Berk were going about their daily business, tending to their families, their livestock, their crafts. He took a deep breath and did his best to let go of the tension in his body. He should do the same as they did. Fall into the familiar routine. Contribute. But the last few days, it was like even rolling out of bed was a challenge, all weary bones and hollow heart.

He gazed over the faces nearby, not finding Hiccup’s. He knew he should speak to Hiccup about all of this. He had told him he wasn’t feeling well, but he hadn’t gone into detail, and Hiccup, bless him, hadn’t pushed him to say anything. Having the love of his life there to share the burden might help, even if things had become strange between them in the last couple of days. Jack sighed and the warmth of his breath slithered into the winter sky. Why couldn’t the painful memories and the nightmares leave his body the same way?

It was the little shifts in Hiccup’s behavior that convinced Jack, he was hiding something from him. How Hiccup encouraged him to take more flights with Frostbite than usual. How he had meetings with Astrid and Fishlegs that Jack wouldn’t know about, unless he saw them going their separate ways from the Great Hall. How Hiccup would scribble things down in one of his notebooks, when he thought he wasn’t being observed.

He clenched his fists, but his fingers were shaking. Restless. Anxious. Like his heart. He watched two Terrible Terrors playing in the snow by one of the other houses. One of them knocked the other one over and started burying it in the white powder. Jack couldn’t even smile at the cute display.

His birthday was coming up next month. The rational part of his mind told him Hiccup’s sneaking around had something to do with that. Another part, a tightly curled up ball of paranoia and sleep deprivation, whispered that something was wrong. That Hiccup didn’t trust him. That Hiccup didn’t want him anymore. The thought alone sprouted ice flowers in his veins.

He went back inside and slumped into a chair by the fire pit. He was being stupid. Hiccup would never do something like that. Jack trusted him with his heart and his life. It must be about his birthday. He closed his eyes and focused on imagining whirling snowflakes and melting icicles. Anything but blood and dead eyes. The warmth of the fire nibbled at his skin like an affectionate pet.

The creak of the opening door was invasive, slicing through his weary mind. Soft footsteps approached. Jack waited for the nasal voice he loved.

“Jack?” His name on Hiccup’s tongue rarely sounded so worried. A hand came down to rest on his shoulder.

Jack forced his eyes open with great effort and gazed up at Hiccup. He had gleaming snowflakes in his hair and on his jacket. Pretty. Hiccup had that worrying wrinkle between his eyebrows and he sat down in the chair next to him, taking his hand. Hiccup’s fingers were warm despite being out in the cold. It suited Jack’s view of him as part dragon. He had flames in his blood.

“What’s happening? Tell me, please,” Hiccup said. The thought that he could be sneaking around for a bad reason seemed so ridiculous now. There was no mistaking the concern in his eyes and the love in his touches. Jack’s chest felt tighter, squashed under the familiar weight of guilt for letting his stupid fears of losing Hiccup get to him like that.

“I just,” he said, “I haven’t been feeling well lately.”

“Yeah,” Hiccup said and curled his fingers tighter around Jack’s hand, “The nightmares about the war and all the anxiety.”

The look of surprise on his face left a sad smile on Hiccup’s lips. “Come on, Jack. I know you. Even when you don’t always go into detail about what’s bothering you.”

“Yeah,” Jack said and took a moment to let that sink in. Hiccup knew him so well that he could decode his feelings, even when he barely spoke of them. He tried to suppress a yawn, but it slipped out of his mouth. How was it even possible to be tired enough to sleep for a year and anxious enough to never fall asleep again? “And you’ve been wonderful, Hic… Not too pushy and not too distant,” he said and decided that now was the time to voice his concerns. The prickles of nervousness stung his insides. His heartbeat felt wrong behind his ribs. Jittery. Shaky. “The last couple of days have just been extra hard. And you’ve started to act weird. Like you’re hiding something. And that really puts me on edge.”

He studied Hiccup’s reaction. The nervousness grew sharper, when Hiccup’s sad smile vanished and he ran anxious fingers through his hair. Why was he acting like that? “I’m so sorry,” Hiccup said.

“It’s okay, I know it probably has something to do with my birthday,” Jack said, now having an urgent need to make Hiccup feel better, “But my mind keeps telling me something is wrong.”

Hiccup pressed his lips against Jack’s hand, soft and gentle like the snowflakes landing in shimmering hills outside. “Nothing is wrong, I promise. I needed to sneak around a bit, because I have a surprise for you.”

The tightness in his chest lessened. “I figured. I’m sorry for ruining it like this.”

“No, no, you didn’t ruin anything,” Hiccup said with a reassuring squeeze of his hand. Jack almost smiled, when he noticed how Hiccup’s good leg was bouncing up and down impatiently. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while,” he continued, “But it was only in the past couple of days that I could get around to it.”

“What is it?” Jack said,

Hiccup let go of their grip on each other and started to wring his hands. “You’ve been in a lot of pain. And I’ve done my best to comfort you without forcing you to say something. I know it’s still difficult to deal with the memories from the war. I thought now was the right time to show you…”

Jack’s couldn’t remember how to breathe properly. Hiccup’s anxiety was throwing cans of gasoline onto his own nervousness and threatening to set it on fire. “What?”

The smile on Hiccup’s lips was warm and almost glowing in the light of the flames. “That you’re never alone. I’ll always be here. No matter what problems we run into. No matter what haunts you. I’m here. By your side. And no one could ever tear me away.”

Jack grabbed Hiccup’s fidgeting hands and savored the brush of skin. Deep inside him something was giving way. Softening and melting, like thawing snow.

Hiccup took a slow breath. “Your pain is my pain. You and I… it’s like when we wake up with our limbs all tangled and breathing into each other’s hair. That’s what we are. That’s what we’ll always be. Always connected. Always a part of each other.”

The tears streamed into his eyes without warning and Hiccup turned blurry. “I love you,” Jack said, his brain failing to find more poetic words to express, how Hiccup would always linger in his skull and hum in his chest.

“I love you too,” Hiccup said, brushing his fingers over Jack’s hand. The touches were light, yet full of meaning. “You’re never alone. I’m here every step of the way. I don’t just want your laughter and smiles. Even though I love that you’re so… playful and mischievous, basically a little shit-,”

Jack couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. He blinked away some of the tears. In Hiccup’s eyes, there was a deep fondness. His hold on Jack’s hand tightened. “Even though it was one of the things that made me fall so hopelessly in love with you… I want every part of you. The laughter. The pain. The sleepless nights. I want you to share everything with me. Always.”

Jack swallowed. “I feel the same way, Hic.” Under the snow outside there was lush grass and moss. Soft and lively beneath the chill. Under Jack’s muscles and bones, buried in his blood stream, there was a lightness. Stirring. Sprouting. Spring was unfolding under his skin. That was the effect Hiccup had on him. He could hit cracks in that lonely ice cave.

Hiccup nodded and took a deep breath. Jack had started to feel more relaxed, but the nervousness on Hiccup’s face made cold fingers squeeze around his lungs. _Why is he nervous? Why-_

Hiccup lowered himself to one knee, still holding his hand. “Hic…” Jack said, Hiccup’s name the only thing his blank mind could come up with. There was nothing inside his skull but thick silence.

Hiccup looked up at him, and Jack was taken back to the Hogwarts library, where they’d bumped into each other, their lives intertwining in one defining moment. The guy back then had been an acquaintance, luring Jack in with his sharp sarcasm and his amusing awkwardness. The guy in front of him now… Jack would die for him. He would sacrifice everything to keep him safe, to see him smile, to keep the spark in his eyes alive.

“Will you marry me?” Hiccup said, his lips curving into a smile. It was one of those crooked smiles that made Jack want to smother his face with kisses. One of those smiles that spoke of how warm yet insecure Hiccup was. Jack released a breath and it came out trembling. He and Hiccup. Forever. Officially. _Was there ever any doubt?_

“Yes,” he said and laughed. It was a broken laughter, cut up by the overwhelming joy and relief drowning his system.

Hiccup got to his feet with a beautiful grin on his face. Jack always wanted to see that grin. He slid his hands around Hiccup’s shoulders and pulled him closer. When their lips touched, Jack closed his eyes and let himself drift away in the warm, loving feeling of Hiccup’s mouth. It didn’t matter how many times they’d kissed by now. When they had those moments, where they locked the world away and sank into each other’s presence, he felt an overwhelming surge of love and greed that cracked and snapped in his blood.

A sharp thought slithered into his happiness, and he gently pushed Hiccup away. “But wait…” Jack said, “Are we even allowed to get married? Like… isn’t the law against it?”

Hiccup’s smile was bordering on smug now. _What the fuck is he up to?_ Jack thought to himself and narrowly avoided chuckling. Hiccup cleared his throat. “I changed the law. With the acceptance of the tribe.”

“What-“ Jack said, until the new information filled the gaps, “Is that… what you’ve been sneaking around for?”

Hiccup’s smile turned soft. “Yup,” he said, “I had to make sure you didn’t find out.”

Jack thought about the friends he had on the island. How did they ever manage to keep it a secret? “So… everyone on the island knew you were going to propose except for me?”

“Well… you and all the kids. Fitting, right?” Hiccup said and stuck out his tongue.

Jack shook his head. “I can’t believe everyone was so good at keeping a secret.”

“I… might have said that anyone who let anything slip would be scrubbing feces off the sheep for a month.”

Jack laughed and briefly imagined Snotlout or Gobber with shit and fleece up to their elbows. “Wauw, feces, you say? What a romantic proposal this is turning into.”

Hiccup grinned and playfully hit his arm. “Hey, I already proposed and you said yes. Proposal’s over.”

Jack pretended to fan himself. “At least give me a warning, before you make me swoon with your romantic words, Mr. Haddock.”

Hiccup’s arms locked around Jack’s waist and pulled him close. Jack could feel Hiccup’s breath warm his cheeks. “What can I say?” Hiccup said, close to whispering. His eyes had a mischievous spark that Jack needed to put out. “You just bring out the romantic in me.” Jack didn’t have time to come up with a smartass reply. Hiccup’s lips were on his, moving with a softness that showed the feelings underneath the humor.

Jack let himself melt in Hiccup’s arms, before pushing him away. “I take back my answer. There’s no way I’m marrying a brat like you.”

“Well, that’s too bad for you. You said yes, that’s a binding oral contract,” Hiccup said and laughed when Jack did his best to give him the most deadpan look in history. “Besides,” Hiccup said and wrapped his arms around him again, “I’m not letting you go. Ever.”

“Way to up the creep factor, Chief.”

“Shut up,” Hiccup said and kissed him on the nose. Jack had a sharp reply ready, but he forgot it, when Hiccup kissed along the corners of his mouth and then planted one final peck on his lips. When Hiccup pulled away, the mischief had vanished from his face. Good. _He_ was supposed to be the master of mischief here.

“Be mine forever?” Hiccup said.

Jack hummed. “Only if you’ll be mine too.”

Hiccup pretended to think it over. “That seems fair enough.”

“Do the guys know about this too?”

“Of course,” Hiccup said, “Rapunzel nearly had a heart attack, when I told her. She says our friendship is over, unless she gets to help us plan the wedding.”

Jack laughed and imagined Rapunzel whirling around with cake samples and drawings of decorations, like some kind of wedding tornado. “What about the others?” he asked, “I can just imagine Merida now: “There better not be bridesmaids’ dresses in a Viking wedding, I’m not going out in public looking like a unicorn vomited on me.”

Hiccup laughed. “Actually, she said: “I refuse to look like a fairy poo,”, but besides that, you’re spot on.”

Jack grinned and had a sudden need to hear their friends’ voices and see their smiles. He decided to send them a message later, asking them to come over as soon as they could.

Hiccup shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “So… are you ready to announce our engagement?”

Jack grabbed his jacket. He imagined the joyful screams of the kids when they found out, and he couldn’t help letting out a chuckle. The future suddenly seemed brighter, despite his anxieties. Hiccup watched him with fondness but didn’t ask why he was laughing. Maybe he already knew. Jack opened the door and the winter breeze bit into his cheeks. “Lead the way, dragon boy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments = love.
> 
> If you want me to write something for you, you can go to my Tumblr (username: Aliceversuswonderland) and send me an ask with your request (be as specific as possible).


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